With a second round of funding in less than two months, Orange County has now committed $10.1 million in CARES Act money to help child care providers, a push that is believed to be the county’s biggest ever financial commitment to a sector that’s vital to working parents and their children.
About a week ago, the Orange County Board of Supervisors followed up an initial allocation of $5 million it made in October by approving a second $5.1 million from the county’s share of federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act dollars.
The $10.1 million sets a new precedent for the county’s cash commitment to supporting child care services, said Kim Goll, president and chief executive officer of First 5, the county’s Children & Families Commission.
“I’ve been in the county 20 years and I’ve never seen an allocation this large to child care,” Goll said.